The third stage of the event, the Thunderhead Circuit was a classic cross-country course, winding around Steamboat's Mt. Werner. The women completed 15.5 miles, with Florit's winning time at one hour and 38 minutes. Tcherkassov finished the men's 24-mile race in 2 hours and 13 minutes. Both riders retain the overall and mountain leaders' jerseys.

Leading the U.S. charge Saturday were second-place finishers Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo. -- Nantucket Nectars-Specialized) and Susan Haywood (Davis, W.V. -- Trek/W.V. Tourism). Horgan-Kobelski regained the Best Young Rider jersey with his performance Saturday. The front of women's race looked much like that of Friday's stage two hillclimb, with Florit, Haywood, Russian Alla Epifanova (Volvo-Cannondale) and Audrey Augustin (Williston, Vt. -- Koulius Zaard) leading the field. The familiar duo of Florit and Epifanova rode together for much of the race, but Florit rode less aggressively than normal, not willing to jeopardize her overall lead.

"I wasn't going to take any chances today, so I just played it safe. I knew Alla (Epifanova) would be chasing me, but I thought 'If she catches me, then she catches me.' I just focused on keeping it safe," the 2000 Argentine Olympian said.

But Haywood proved to be the story of the race for the second-consecutive day. The East Coaster continued her mountain bike racing breakthrough Saturday, keeping pressure on Florit at the end of the race. "It was fun. I was surprised to be riding with Jimena (Florit) because she is a world-class cyclist," said 28-year-old Haywood. "I felt really calm today. Jimena and Alla (Epifanova) started slow because they were keeping an eye out for each other. They forgot that Shonny (Vanlandingham) and I had our own battle going for third on the podium. I think that was an advantage."

Like Florit, Tcherkassov rode at the front for the majority of the race. Stage two second-place finisher Carl Swenson (Boulder, Colo. -- RLX Polo Sport) kept pressure on the Russian through the start of the second lap. Swenson, however, blew up in the second lap, allowing Horgan-Kobelski a chance to move ahead. "I didn't think I was going that fast, but at the start of the second lap I caught Carl (Swenson)," said Horgan-Kobelski, a past national collegiate champion who turned 22 Friday. "I was ahead of him (Tcherkassov) on part of the descent, but it was a short-lived lead. I felt good at the start, and felt really good the whole race. When I got halfway up the first climb, I knew I was going to have a good day. I've been racing pro for four years, but it feels great to finally be getting some results."

Tcherkassov's main concern Saturday was retaining the overall leader's jersey, something that eluded him in the past. The Gary Fisher-Saab rider finished second overall in 1997 and '98. "The course was kind of rough, and it would have been easy to get something going wrong. I just concentrated on my riding. I didn't want to take a chance and get a mechanical," said the 2000 Russian Olympian. "I just concentrated on keeping the yellow jersey, but when I thought I could win the stage, I went for it."

Though Carl Swenson lost his energy for the race, brother Peter Swenson made a surge at the end and finished third. Carl was fifth. The 2000 Mercury Tour concludes Sunday, Aug. 13, with the Gondola Criterium, a short, fast 0.8-mile course at the base of Mt. Werner. Tcherkassov and Florit hold approximately seven minutes over their challengers, and the duo are expected to easily capture the 2000 Mercury Tour title.